cyberpunkdreams News

The new system for Access/Mechanic's tools has had a lot of work since the last release. As with any system such as this, the idea is to improve immersion and add meaningful decision making, rather than impeding gameplay. Whilst the system wasn't achieving that before, we feel that it is now. Instead of magically having all of your tools available all the time, you've now got a decision to make about what your carrying. Going to the dump or the bordertown? Makes sense to have a vehicle with as many tools stashed in it as you can. Going to the Projects? Possibly better only to have what you can put in a small bag.

However, tweaking the numbers isn't the only part of this work. You can also store many more boxes than before, so you can have six in total now, including the new types (not just two), making it viable to get a few before going to a workshop to open them. The value of the boxes is also being greatly increased (done for two so far) and there are some more mechanics for opening them. If you're carrying the right kit, it should be possible to open all but the hardest boxes fairly easily when out and about, but the hardest ones will need a workshop.

There is still more to be done, however. To whit, workshops in all the areas of the game, with different ways to get them. The big vehicles update is also currently in testing, and this should help out in various ways. It'll be live very soon now. And maybe in future, more different types of tools and different ways to use them. And on the subject of things to come, a handful of things that are currently in progress includes dating Miriam, messing around with Mavis, body modification, more Black Moon content, more stuff in the Projects, a *lot* more Banshee... and more. As well as more wheels, the vehicles update includes vehicle modification, new locations. new NPCs and new mechanics.

Oh, and don't forget you can finish Ann's secret now.

Read the full changelog below:

You can now store up to three sealed boxes, instead of just one.
An existing box will automatically be stored if you get a new one, if there are spaces available.
New stored box types -- Locked and Locked/Electronic.
Stored boxes now only use mechanics skill and tools.
You can now attempt to grind open boxes if you're in a workshop.
You can now try opening boxes with the help of precision instruments.
New skill: lock picking.
New item: lockpicking kit.
New item: padlocks.
New item: stabilised binoculars.
New resource: scrap metal.
You can now group some items into scrap metal to make them easier to sell.
New Covedale skill training for lock picking.

You can now complete Ann's secret.

Capped the influence of Carrying tools on Loaded up and Target/Street crime.
Increased the amount of tools available for Access/Mechanic's tools slightly.
More of A history of violence.
Banshee spike experiences have been updated.
You might now lose your cannabis high if you wake up too much.
Made tests on

New concept: Access/Mechanic's tools.
- Checks various things to see if you can access your tools, so you don't necessarily need them equipped to use them.
- You can select whether or not you're carrying a load of tools via Manage your life.
- For existing characters, this system will kick in once you've seen the tutorial.

Fixed Body trauma not being treatable at the Backstreet clinic.
Fixed some other smaller bugs and typos; Thanks for the reports.

Not your usual? is now more of a journey.

Fixed some bugs in the last release.

There's some more Ann content.
There's a little more Irene content.
Limited access to black clinics via favours from some NPCs.

New artwork.
Inventory items now tell you if they can go into a supply packet.
- Both item previews and inventory tooltips show this info.

Fixed a rare case of Trouble going down appearing twice in a row.
Fixed Body trauma not getting applied properly.
Fixed a problem with Becks visiting you in jail.
Fixed some other minor bugs and typos; thanks for the reports!

A lot can happen in 10 years. It was 10 years ago that the seeds which would blossom into cyberpunkdreams began to take root, and while the game itself has only been on Steam for the last two years, there’s 10 years of work behind this increasingly ambitious adventure. Indeed, the opening lines of the game remain intact a decade later.

It’s been one hell of a journey and there’s still plenty of ground left to cover. We’re never likely to run out of ideas to keep the engines burning. And with that out of the way, let’s get cracking, shall we?

May updates
Our second anniversary event content dropped at the start of the month, including the return of the event story from last year. The traitor you choose is an engaging story that can and will have a lasting impact on your game. There’s various criteria you’ll need to meet to trigger it but play for long enough and you should get to experience this fan favourite tale.

Along with the return of this story, there was a new one for this anniversary – Deep stacks. Similarly to The traitor you choose, your decisions through this one can have a lasting impact on your game. To go along with this story, we added more content to Eastside Stacks (the name of the new story should be a giveaway of where it mostly happens) and a new location to discover in the Projects… plus a couple of new NPCs, but that’s a different story.

If you played the game during the anniversary but haven’t seen or finished either of these stories yet, then fear not: they’re unlocked for you now, and you’ll be able to play them as and when you meet the starting criteria.

We also introduced a deeper dive into the world of the city’s black clinics. These are the clinics that pop up and disappear without leaving a trace and allow players to indulge in some more creative medical work. Until now, they were always seen as little more than cheaper alternatives to the backstreet clinic, but now we’ve expanded the lore to give you all more of a taste of how this slice of the economy works in the world.

There’s also been a broad range of other updates, including:

• Tweaks to the war mechanics
  
• Quality of life improvements for pimps
  
• More of Alessandra’s story
  
• Buying drugs from local dealers
  

And a whole lot more! You can check out the full list right here, on Steam.


Call & Response
As well as all the regular activity in our Discord server, we host a bi-weekly (or so) writing prompt called Call & Response. We post a question or discussion topic, and you’re free to respond however you want. When each round closes, we reward the best and most creative responses with unique access codes. Recent prompts have included:

• You've only ever had the chance to explore the lower levels of the Project -- both literally and in terms of their gang hierarchy. You've heard rumours about what lies above, but you can really only speculate…
• What's your favourite urban legend about Cinci's slums? And is it really just a legend, or is there a grain of truth in there too?
• Are you originally from Cinci? Has the organisation that's running you inadvertently sent you back to your old stomping ground? Or deliberately? Or would all that be total madness?
• Jax goes to great lengths to keep himself hidden, even though his presence in Cinci's slums is an open secret to many. But is it really necessary? Do the corporations really care that much about one rogue researcher? And if they do, why?

On the subject of access codes, every time we run an event there are usually some codes to go along with it that we share in our server. They always get a great response, but a lot of people only join to get those codes and don’t look far enough to see all the other codes that are available there all the time. If that’s you, seriously, look beyond the announcements channel and you might find some things you’ll enjoy.

Don’t be afraid to say hi
As always, if you have something to say about the changes, have any ideas or questions, or just want to share your experiences in the Projects or the Bordertown, we’re here to absorb your feedback. Who knows, we might even act on it in the next update!



Feel free to join us in our discord server or on Twitter, where we’re always active with little snippets from the cpd universe.
Until next time!